Labor leader Anthony Albanese says his party will push for its own model of a national anti-corruption commission, as Scott Morrison defends controversial Warringah candidate Katherine Deves.
Look back on Thursday's developments as they happened in our blog.
Key events
- Barnaby Joyce defends northern NSW candidate following domestic violence comments
- Quick fact check on accusations Labor is on China's side
- How can world leaders trust Morrison amid more text message leaks?
- PM says he is 'deeply sorry' if his 'blessed' comment offended
- Albanese responds to PM's 'blessed' comment: 'Every child is a blessing'
- Scott Morrison addresses 'blessed' comment
- Where are the leaders campaigning today?
Live updates
By Jessica Riga
We'll wrap up our live blog here
Thank you for joining us today!
You can continue to stay up to date with the latest updates and analysis here on the ABC News website or on our app.
See you next time!
By Jessica Riga
In pictures: Anthony Albanese campaigns in the seat of Gilmore in northern NSW
These pictures were all taken by ABC photographer Adam Kennedy.
By Jessica Riga
Do we know when the second leaders' debate will be?
Do we know when the second debate (between Albanese and Morrison) will be?
-debates!
Good question! But unfortunately we don't know yet when the next leaders' debate will be.
Last time we had about a weeks' notice of when the first leaders' debate would be happening.
As soon as we know, we'll make sure it's here in the blog.
By Jessica Riga
Can't get enough of the debates?
Me neither.
ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent Laura Tingle is also the President of the National Press Club.
She says the NPC's election debate calendar is taking shape. The Treasury debate will take place on May 4 and the Defence debate on May 5.
"Both the Foreign Minister and the Aged Care Minister have declined to take part in debates," Tingle wrote.
"The invitations to the Opposition's spokespeople remain open."
By Jessica Riga
Car crashes into federal Labor MP's Brisbane electorate office
Here are more details on that car crash Georgia reported on earlier.
A vehicle has ploughed into the Brisbane electorate office of federal Labor MP Terri Butler.
Ms Butler said no-one was hurt in the incident at Greenslopes this afternoon.
Police are on the scene, but at this stage, they do not believe it was deliberate.
A search is underway for the driver who was last spotted heading along Old Cleveland Road.
By Jessica Riga
Barnaby Joyce defends northern NSW candidate following domestic violence comments
The federal leader of the Nationals has defended his candidate in the northern New South Wales seat of Richmond, after controversial comments and social media posts emerged.
Kimberly Hone told worshippers at a Pentecostal church her ultimate goal in politics was to "bring God's Kingdom to the political arena".
In a social media post from 2017 she wrote, "one way to avoid domestic violence is to marry well".
Barnaby Joyce says it's a free country and he's not concerned by Horne's comments.
"You can say what you like in this country because people have died for it," he says.
"Now if you don't agree with someone's views that's also your right but I'm not going to start this pile on of certain people."
By Georgia Hitch
China's security pact with Solomon Islands has poked Morrison squarely in the eye
ICYMI political editor Andrew Probyn unpacked what the significance is of the security pact between Solomon Islands and China for Scott Morrison and the upcoming election.
By Georgia Hitch
Quick fact check on accusations Labor is on China's side
This was something that came up last night during the first debate, when Scott Morrison accused Labor of being on China's side because the Opposition criticised the government for failing to stop Solomon Islands signing a security pact with China.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese described it as an "outrageous slur" and said Labor agreed China had become more aggressive and if in power would've acted on concerns the security pact would be signed sooner.
Today Mr Morrison tried to explain why he made the comment, listing off Labor's stance on a number of foreign policy issues - let's go through them.
Morrison: "When our relationship with China started to descend, and when China was putting in place trade blocs on Australian products, wine and barley and various things like that, they said that was Australia's fault, not China's fault."
When China imposed an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, the Opposition said the accusation the Australian government was subsidising barley growers (one of the main arguments China used when putting the tariff in place) was "simply untrue". Labor also urged the government to "make every resource available to prosecute the case on behalf of Australian farmers".
Morrison: "When I called out China for where the pandemic started and said there had to be an independent investigation into the origins of COVID, apparently this was the wrong thing for us to do. Labor said that Australia was at fault in calling for that, and our government was at fault for doing that."
When the calls were made for the inquiry Labor packed the push by the government for an investigation and urged the government to secure the support of other nations as well.
Morrison: "When I cancelled a submarine contract for $90 billion because it wasn't the right submarine for Australia ... when France attacked Australia over that decision, they didn't side with Australia, they sided with the French government."
Last year when the submarine contract with French company Naval Group was binned in favour of the AUKUS agreement Labor supported the move to nuclear subs, but did criticise the government for the way it handled the diplomatic fallout with the French government.
One thing that is worth pointing out is that the Opposition has definitely been critical of the way the government has handled the Australia-China relationship from a foreign policy stand point over the past few years as relations have soured.
By Georgia Hitch
How can world leaders trust Morrison amid more text message leaks?
In case you missed it, yesterday NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet confirmed he sent the Prime Minister a text message - that was reportedly leaked to the media - saying he supported Scott Morrison's position on excluding transgender women from playing women's sport.
But Mr Perottet said he had no idea how it became public.
There was also the instance last year where private messages between French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Morrison were leaked, with fingers pointed at the Prime Minister.
Mr Morrison's been asked how world leaders can trust that he won't release their private text messages.
He said he didn't release the messages and that all that's been reported is that Mr Perottet had been in touch with him.
"When I spoke to some close colleagues in the Libearl Party on the weekend, they asked me whether Dom had been contact and I simply said he had," he said.
"I hadn't shared any text message or anything like that. That wasn't released to any body.
"I have been a regular text contact with leaders all around the world. Regular text contact and I continue to be. I will always be because it's an important part of my job to ensure I remain in regular contact."
By Jessica Riga
'What they do know, is what they don't know', Morrison says
That was Prime Minister Scott Morrison's response when he was reminded that Opposition leader Anthony Albanese won the audience vote after last night's leaders' debate.
In case you missed in, the debate was held in front of 100 undecided voters, Sky News says. After the debate they were polled and 40 people said Albanese won the debate, 35 backed Morrison, and 25 per cent remained undecided.
So, what does Morrison think of that result?
"There are 4.5 weeks in the election and Australians are looking carefully. Many of them haven't made up their mind.
"What they know is what they don't know about Anthony Albanese. What they don't know about his plan. What they don't know about his experience on national security. And on economy.
"What they do know is what they do know about our government. The Liberals and Nationals are keeping Australians safe, keeping our economy strong because a strong economy means a strong future. Thanks very much, everyone."
He was also asked if he would stand down as Liberal leader if he lost the election. He didn't answer that part of the question and then ended the press conference.
We're still unpacking some of his comments, which we'll post shortly.
By Georgia Hitch
PM comments on Solomon Islands at odds with spy chiefs
The Prime Minister's been asked why he made a mention earlier in the press conference to his experience with national security, given direct warnings from spy chiefs that politicising national security is "not helpful".
Earlier this year the head of ASIO issued a warning to both sides of politics that using national security (at the time it was around issues with China) in political point scoring wasn't actually in the national interest.
Mr Morrison was asked whether him making comments this time around in reference to Solomon Islands was doing Australia a disservice.
He didn't answer it but instead said:
"When you are prime minister you're running a government. Public servants don't run the government, Prime ministers and the ministers run governments," he said.
"We set a very high bar when it comes to national security. If the Labor Party wants to aspire to that, they have to lift their game."
By Jessica Riga
Morrison on Katherine Deves
Here's the reporters question: On Katherine Deves getting 'cancelled'. I understand she wants to speak out and would like to correct the record but it's your campaign stopping her from speaking out. Will you let her speak in front of the media and if not, why not?
And here's Morrison's response.
"She is campaigning, I contacted her today to encourage her. Katherine Deves is passionate about the issue of women and girls in sport. The position she has set out on the issue is one that I think finds a lot of resonence with Australians who just want commonsense to apply in the situation and not to be turned into a broader debate about other issues which I think distract from the main point, which is women and girls in sport and ensuring that that debate can be had sensitively and properly."
By Jessica Riga
Trans women in sport has been brought up again
This is what a reporter asked: Would you feel comfortable about your daughters competing against transgender people in sport?
And this was Prime Minister Scott Morrison's reply:
"Sports will make the decisions but my preference is for girls to play girls, for women to play women, boys to play boys, men to play men. I don't think this is a terribly remarkable statement. I think it's common sense.
"For those who are trans, I want them to participate in sport as well. I want them to have opportunities for inclusion in sport and everyone is to be treated with dignity.
"We also have to have common sense here.... it's a commonsense position which I think Australians understand. They want it to be dealt with sensitively and respectfully and so do I."
By Georgia Hitch
PM says he is 'deeply sorry' if his 'blessed' comment offended
Unsurprisingly Scott Morrison's been asked about a comment he made during the debate that he and his wife Jenny were "blessed" to not have had children with disability.
The comments have been criticised by disability advocates, Labor and others - including the Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.
Mr Morrison said he didn't mean any offence when he made the comment last night.
"I accept that it has caused offence to people and to learn and I have been in contact today and I apologised directly to Dylan about that," he said.
"I think people would also appreciate that I would have had no such intention of suggesting that anything other than every child is a blessing is true.
"But I can appreciate particularly that some of the ways it was communicated, and the way it was sought to be represented by our political opponents in the middle of an election, that it could have been taken in different context and I'm deeply sorry about that."
Mr Morrison said he was trying to convey that he didn't have a first-hand understanding of the challenges people who have children with disability face.
"I was seeking to respect the challenges they face, not the opposite," he said.
By Jessica Riga
Circling back to the Solomon Island question because Morrison didn't answer it directly
So when did the government learn about the deal between China and Solomon Islands?
Scott Morrison says he "won't go to the specifics."
"It goes to international security so I won't do that. No, what I'm telling you, no, I'm sorry, I know about national security. I've been on the national security committee.
"I know about the issues and what you can and can't say about National Security Institute."
By Jessica Riga
Morrison hits out again at Labor's scare campaign
Morrison spent the morning with a number of retirees at that retirement village who they are worried about the pension cut.
"Labour is telling a despicable lie to pensioners seeking to frighten them to vote for the Labor Party," Morrison says.
"We are not forcing that on pensioners. That is an absolute lie."
By Jessica Riga
When did the government find out about the Solomon Islands deal?
For reference, Morrison said previously that China's deal with the Solomons wasn't a surprise. So when did the government made aware of it?
Morrison doesn't say, but says China is a nation that's "not playing by the normal rules."
"This is a secret deal, and the arrangements that are there are not public. And, you know, Peter [Dutton] may have put it a bit more bluntly this morning, but he makes the right point, that we are dealing with an autocratic nation that is not playing by the normal rules on how they seek to influence other nations in our region, and other nations in our region I can assure you are very aware of that."
By Jessica Riga
Scott Morrison is speaking now
He's at Ferra Engineering, a defence manufacturing business in the seat of Bonner in Queensland.
"We are announcing today $58.6 million in grants for nine projects under the defence industry priority for the modern manufacturing initiative," Morrison says.
